JP2024055189A - Information processing device and information processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention reduces the burden of document management on an administrator of a prime contractor, compared to when documents exchanged between subcontracted companies are managed centrally by the administrator of the prime contractor.
[Solution] The document management device 4 manages a management table 8 linked to a case identifier and multiple documents, accepts registration of the user ID, document, and document ID of the case manager of the entrusted company 2B in association with the case identifier from the entrusting terminal 6A operated by the case manager of the entrusting company 2A, and permits the entrusted terminal 6B operated by the case manager of the entrusted company 2B to perform predetermined operations on the multiple documents linked to the case identifier and registered by the case manager of the entrusting company 2A to the case manager of the entrusted company 2B.
[Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

This disclosure relates to an information processing device and an information processing program.

Patent Document 1 discloses a document management method that realizes collaboration throughout the supply chain and information sharing between users by mapping the information flow between processes in a supply chain model to electronic documents, in which electronic document data consisting of multiple document segments and a security sheet in which a user ID and access rights set for each document segment are associated with each other are stored in a specified database, and when the electronic document data in the database is accessed by a user, the ID given by the accessing user is compared with the user ID in the database, and the access rights associated with the user are searched for in the security sheet according to the comparison result, and the user is permitted or prohibited from reading or writing the document segments according to the searched access rights.

Patent Document 2 describes an information processing device capable of delegating the operation authority of a delegating user to a delegatee user in a workflow procedure, comprising a first extraction means for extracting tasks to be delegated by the delegating user from a task data table in which each task is defined, in accordance with a request from the delegating user; a reception means for receiving, in accordance with a request from the delegating user, a designation of a delegatee user to whom a task selected by the delegating user from the tasks extracted by the first extraction means is to be delegated; a designation of the operation authority to be delegated to the delegatee user for the task, and the authority to refer to the processing history of the task; and a reception means for receiving, in accordance with a request from the delegating user, a designation of the operation authority to be delegated to the delegatee user for the task, and the authority to refer to the processing history of the task. and a second extraction means for extracting processing history including processing history of a task that is accessible to the delegation destination user and that has not been processed by the delegation destination user, using the access authority for the processing history related to the task that has been accepted by the acceptance means in accordance with a request to access the processing history by the delegation destination user, the acceptance means being capable of setting the processing history of the delegation source user before delegation so that the delegation destination user can access it, and the second extraction means extracting, to the delegation destination user, the processing history of a task by the delegation source user that delegated the task before the task was delegated to the delegation destination user, as the processing history of a task that has not been processed by the delegation destination user.

Patent Document 3 describes a document management server system comprising a server having document data recording means for recording data of multiple categories according to a predetermined classification, and a client that accesses the server to receive document management services such as creating, editing, and referencing data, in which the document data recording means is configured as a relational database or key-value store type database that integrates multiple document categories, and in the relational database, (1) what case the data is related to, (2) which document category the data belongs to, (3) who created the data, and (4) when the data was created or edited are recorded, and the document data body comprises at least one item and address information corresponding to that item, and variable-length data is stored in that address, and in the key-value store type database, (1) what case the data is related to, (2) which category the data belongs to, and A document management server system is disclosed in which (3) who created the data and (4) when the data was created or edited are recorded, and the document data body is composed of at least one item and variable-length data corresponding to that item, and the server is configured with a document processing means for executing document processing according to the client user, and the document processing means is configured with (1) a document category definition means for assembling predetermined items into a document at the user's request, (2) an item definition means for defining the document items as database data, (3) an access authority management means for specifying the user's access range, and (4) a means for creating, editing, and referencing documents based on (1) to (3), and the server is equipped with a function for identifying access from a user and performing data processing using the document processing means on document data of a document category that the accessing user is permitted to access according to the accessing user.

JP 2001-306558 A Patent No. 5115935 Patent No. 5469645

When work is successively outsourced from a prime contractor to a subcontractor, and then from the subcontractor to a subcontractor, the prime contractor may manage the documents exchanged between each of the subcontractors to prevent confidential information from leaking, for example.

However, as the number of outsourcing companies increases, the amount of management work done by users of the prime contractors also tends to increase.

The present disclosure aims to provide an information processing device and information processing program that can reduce the burden of document management on an administrator of a prime contractor in a supply chain constructed by a prime contractor outsourcing work to a subcontractor, which in turn subcontracts the work to other subcontractors, compared to a case in which the administrator of the prime contractor centrally manages the management of documents exchanged between subcontractors.

The information processing device according to the first aspect includes a processor, which manages multiple organizational information and multiple documents linked to a supply chain identifier, accepts registration of identification information of a user of a second organization, the document, and identification information of the document in association with the supply chain identifier from a first terminal operated by a user of a first organization, and permits a second terminal operated by a user of the second organization to perform a predetermined operation on the document linked to the supply chain identifier and registered by the user of the first organization for a user of the second organization.

In the information processing device according to the second aspect, in the information processing device according to the first aspect, the processor receives from the first terminal the identification information of the user of the second organization associated with the supply chain identifier, the document, and the identification information of the document, as well as the registration of the predetermined type of operation, and permits the second terminal to perform the predetermined type of operation on the document linked to the supply chain identifier and registered by a user of the first organization for a user of the second organization.

In the information processing device according to the third aspect, in the information processing device according to the second aspect, at least one of obtaining, viewing, copying, granting access rights, editing, reading, and executing the document registered by the user of the first organization for the user of the second organization is registered as the type of the predetermined operation.

In the information processing device according to the fourth aspect, in the information processing device according to the first aspect, the processor registers the access history of the document by the first terminal and the second terminal in the storage device for each document.

The information processing device according to the fifth aspect is the information processing device according to the fourth aspect, in which the processor outputs the access history of the document disclosed by the first organization to the second organization to an administrator terminal operated by a manager of the supply chain.

In the information processing device according to the sixth aspect, in the information processing device according to the fifth aspect, the processor outputs to the administrator terminal of the first organization that requested the access history of the document, the access history of the document in each organization that is subordinate to the first organization that requested the access history of the document in the supply chain and that has a direct or indirect contract relationship with the first organization.

In the information processing device according to the seventh aspect, in the information processing device according to the sixth aspect, the processor outputs the access history of the document in each organization that is subordinate to the first organization and has a direct or indirect case entrustment relationship with the first organization to an administrator terminal of an organization that is designated by the first organization and is located above the first organization and has a direct or indirect case entrustment relationship with the first organization.

The information processing device according to the eighth aspect is the information processing device according to the fifth aspect, in which the processor outputs the access history of the document to an administrator terminal operated by an administrator of a prime contractor company in the supply chain.

In the information processing device according to the ninth aspect, in the information processing device according to the first aspect, when the registered document is modified, the processor outputs a message to the first terminal operated by an administrator of the prime contractor company in the supply chain, notifying the administrator that the document has been modified.

In the information processing device according to the tenth aspect, in the information processing device according to the ninth aspect, the processor acquires management information of the document associated with the same supply chain identifier and the same identification information, and detects that the document has been modified if the file name of the registered document is different from the file name of the original document.

In the information processing device according to the eleventh aspect, in the information processing device according to the first aspect, the processor outputs the distribution status of the document in the first organization and the second organization to an administrator terminal operated by a manager of the supply chain.

In the information processing device according to the 12th aspect, in the information processing device according to the 11th aspect, the processor outputs a message to an administrator terminal operated by a supply chain manager, urging caution when the document is distributed to at least one of the predetermined first organization and the predetermined second organization.

The information processing program according to the thirteenth aspect is a program for causing a computer to manage multiple organizational information and multiple documents linked to a supply chain identifier, accept registration of identification information of a user of a second organization, the document, and identification information of the document in association with the supply chain identifier from a first terminal operated by a user of a first organization, and execute a process for permitting a second terminal operated by a user of the second organization to perform a predetermined operation on the document linked to the supply chain identifier and registered by the user of the first organization for the user of the second organization.

According to the first and thirteenth aspects, in a supply chain constructed by a prime contractor outsourcing a task to a subcontractor, which then subcontracts the task to another subcontractor, the document management burden on the administrator of the prime contractor can be reduced, compared to a case in which the administrator of the prime contractor centrally manages the management of documents exchanged between subcontractors.

The second aspect has the effect that the outsourcing company can specify the types of operations that the outsourcing company can perform on the document.

According to the third aspect, the outsourcing company can specify a combination of types of operations that the outsourced company can perform on the document from among multiple types of operations that have been predefined.

The fourth aspect has the effect of making it possible to ascertain whether the entrusted company has acquired the document.

The fifth aspect has the effect of allowing the supply chain manager to grasp the document acquisition status.

According to the sixth aspect, the supply chain manager can grasp the document acquisition status of each organization that is subordinate to the organization to which the manager belongs and has a direct or indirect entrustment relationship.

According to the seventh aspect, it is possible to report the document acquisition status in each organization that is subordinate to the organization to which the administrator belongs and has a direct or indirect entrustment relationship to an organization that is superior to the organization to which the administrator belongs and has a direct or indirect entrustment relationship.

According to the eighth aspect, the effect is that the manager of the prime contractor in the supply chain can grasp the document acquisition status.

The ninth aspect has the effect of making it possible to ascertain whether a document has been modified as it is distributed through the supply chain.

The tenth aspect has the effect of making it possible to ascertain from the document's file name whether the document has been modified.

According to the eleventh aspect, the effect is that a supply chain manager can grasp the distribution status of documents after the outsourcing company with which the manager does not directly enter into an outsourcing contract.

The twelfth aspect has the effect of enabling a supply chain manager to recognize that a document has been distributed to a problematic outsourced company.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of outsourcing a case. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a supply chain. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an information system. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a document management apparatus. FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a management table. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a main part of an electrical system of a document management device configured using a computer. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a case registration process. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a document registration process. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a document distribution process. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a document correction determination process. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of an access analysis process. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a supply chain analysis process.

The disclosed embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the same components and processes are given the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

Figure 1 shows an example of outsourcing a project from prime contractor 1. For example, if prime contractor 1 that has received an order for a project is unable to perform all of the work for the project in-house, prime contractor 1 may enter into an outsourcing contract with contractor 2-1 and outsource part of the project to contractor 2. In this case, prime contractor 1 registers documents related to the project in a document repository that is accessible to both prime contractor 1 and contractor 2-1, such as document database (DB) 16. In response, contractor 2-1 obtains the documents registered by prime contractor 1 from document DB 16, thereby distributing the documents from prime contractor 1 to contractor 2-1. Here, "obtaining documents" refers to contractor 2-1 downloading documents registered in document DB 16. In the examples of this disclosure, a "document" refers not only to a document that contains characters and images, but also to data that contains some information, such as numerical data such as CAD (Computer Aided Design) data, or text files that contain computer-executable commands, such as script files.

Similarly, if the outsourced company 2-1 that has been entrusted with a project by the prime contractor 1 is unable to perform all of the work for the outsourced project, it may enter into an outsourcing contract with another outsourced company 2-2 and subcontract part of the outsourced project to the outsourced company 2-2. Even in this case, documents related to the project are distributed from the outsourced company 2-1 to the outsourced company 2-2 via the document DB 16.

The n in the symbol "2-n" attached to the entrusting company is a natural number that indicates the degree of entrustment. The entrusting company 2-1, where n is "1", indicates that it is a primary entrusting company that has signed an entrustment contract with the main contractor 1 and has been entrusted with the project. The entrusting company 2-2, where n is "2", indicates that it is a secondary entrusting company that has signed an entrustment contract with the primary entrusting company and has been entrusted with the project. When there is no need to distinguish between the entrusting degrees of the entrusting companies and explain them, they will simply be referred to as "entrusting company 2".

The registration of documents in document DB16 and the retrieval of documents from document DB16 are performed by a project manager who is pre-selected within each company. The project manager of prime contractor company 1 is sometimes required to manage the entire SC, and is therefore also referred to as the "SC manager."

By repeatedly subcontracting projects between the subcontracting companies 2, a supply chain (hereinafter referred to as "SC") for projects is constructed with the prime contractor 1 at the top. In this specification, the prime contractor 1 is described as the top of the SC as an example, but which company is the top of the SC varies depending on the industry and business type, so for example, the primary subcontracting company may be the top of the SC. In addition, the company to which the SC manager belongs does not necessarily have to be a company that constitutes the SC. For example, when a retail company sells private products that it has planned, the retail company manages the entire SC, but the prime contractor 1, which develops and produces products based on the plans of the retail company, enters into a contract with the subcontracting company 2 to form an SC, and serves as the top of the SC and the starting point for distributing documents. In this case, the retail company is the SC manager but is not a company that constitutes the SC.

The "SC administrator" does not necessarily have to be the case manager of prime contractor company 1, but may be the case manager of a company at the top of the SC, or may be the case manager of a company other than the company at the top of the SC. In the following, as an example, we will explain a case where the case manager of prime contractor company 1 becomes the SC administrator.

Figure 2 shows an example of an SC. The SC is composed of one prime contractor 1 and multiple subcontractors 2. In the example of the SC in Figure 2, up to four subcontractors exist. In Figure 2, the alphabets added after the code "2-n" of each subcontractor are identifiers that identify each nth-level subcontractor. When it is not necessary to distinguish and explain each nth-level subcontractor, the alphabets will be omitted and they will be explained as "subcontractor 2-n". In Figure 2, the status of the contract in the SC is represented by a link 9. For example, subcontractor 2-1A and subcontractor 2-2B are connected by a link 9, which indicates that a contract has been concluded between subcontractor 2-1A and subcontractor 2-2B. The companies located at both ends of the same link 9, such as subcontractor 2-1A and subcontractor 2-2B, are said to have a direct contract relationship.

In FIG. 2, entrusted company 2-2B, which has signed an entrustment contract with entrusted company 2-1A, subcontracts cases to entrusted companies 2-3A and 2-3B. In other words, there is a direct entrustment relationship between entrusted company 2-2B and entrusted companies 2-3A and 2-3B. When entrusted company 2-3A and entrusted company 2-3B are viewed from entrusted company 2-1A, there is no direct entrustment relationship between entrusted company 2-1A and entrusted company 2-3A and entrusted company 2-3B because they are not located at both ends of the same link 9. However, entrusted company 2-3A and entrusted company 2-3B have been subcontracted cases that entrusted company 2-1A entrusted to entrusted company 2-2B through entrusted company 2-2B. In this way, entrusted companies 2 that can be reached by tracing link 9 in the direction of entrusted companies 2 with a higher entrustment degree from a specific entrusted company 2, and each entrusted company 2 other than the entrusted company 2 with which the direct entrustment relationship is established, are called entrusted companies 2 with an indirect entrustment relationship with the specific entrusted company 2.

For example, since entrusted company 2-1A and entrusted company 2-2C are not connected by the same link 9, there is no direct entrustment relationship between entrusted company 2-1A and entrusted company 2-2C. Moreover, in order to trace from entrusted company 2-1A to entrusted company 2-2C, it is necessary to go back to the prime contractor 1 that entrusted the project to entrusted company 2-1A. Therefore, entrusted company 2-2C is not an entrusted company 2 that can be reached by tracing link 9 from entrusted company 2-1A in the direction of an entrusted company 2 with a higher entrustment degree, that is, it is not an entrusted company 2 that has an indirect entrustment relationship with entrusted company 2-1A. Therefore, even if entrusted company 2-1A and entrusted company 2-2C are entrusted companies 2 that constitute the same SC, they are entrusted companies 2 with which no entrustment relationship exists.

Hereinafter, the company that outsources the project will be referred to as the "outsourcing company 2A," and the outsourcing company 2 that receives the outsourcing will be referred to as the "outsourced company 2B." Prime contractor 1 outsources the project to outsourcing company 2-1, so if we are only looking at the outsourcing relationship between the two companies, prime contractor 1 is also an example of outsourcing company 2A. Therefore, when there is no need to distinguish between prime contractor 1 and outsourcing company 2A, they will be referred to collectively as the "outsourcing company."

In addition, when outsourced company 2B, which has been entrusted with a project by prime contractor 1, subcontracts the project to another outsourcing company 2, outsourced company 2B changes into the position of outsourcing company 2A. In this way, the positions of outsourcing company 2A and outsourced company 2B are not fixed concepts, but change depending on the outsourcing relationship between the two companies.

Prime contractor company 1 and outsourced company 2A in the present disclosure are examples of a first organization, and outsourced company 2B is an example of a second organization. In addition, the project managers of prime contractor company 1 and outsourced company 2 in the present disclosure are examples of users at each company.

In the supply chain hierarchy, each of the entrusting companies 2 that are the recipients of documents distributed by entrusting company 2A to entrusted company 2B through repeated subcontracting by entrusted company 2A is called "entrusted company 2B that is subordinate to entrusting company 2A." In addition, each of the entrusting companies 2A that exist on the route tracing link 9 from entrusting company 2A downstream to the top of the SC, including entrusting company 2A with which the entrustment contract has been made, is called "entrusted company 2A that is superior to entrusted company 2B."

For example, in the case of the SC shown in Figure 2, the entrusted company 2B, which is subordinate to the entrusted company 2-1A, is the entrusted companies 2-2A, 2-2B, 2-3A, 2-3B, 2-4A, 2-4B, and 2-4C. The entrusted company 2A, which is superior to the entrusted company 2-2B, is the entrusted company 2-1A and the prime contractor 1. Because the entrusted company 2-2C does not have a contract with the entrusted company 2-1A, the entrusted company 2A, which is superior to the entrusted company 2-2C, is not the entrusted company 2-1A, but the entrusted company 2-1B and the prime contractor 1. In addition, entrusted company 2-2A and entrusted companies 2-2B, 2-3A, 2-3B, 2-4A, 2-4B, and 2-4C are all entrusted companies 2B that are subordinate to entrusted company 2-1A, but because entrusted company 2-2B has not signed an entrustment contract with entrusted company 2-2A, entrusted company 2-2A is not an entrusted company 2A that is superior to entrusted company 2-2B. In this way, even if the entrusted companies 2B are subordinate to the same entrusted company 2A, it does not necessarily mean that one entrusted company 2B is an entrusted company 2A that is superior to the other entrusted company 2B.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information system 3 in an SC. The information system 3 includes a document management device 4, a prime contractor terminal 5, an outsourcer terminal 6A, and an outsourcee terminal 6B, which are all connected to each other via a communication line 7.

The document management device 4 is an example of an information processing device that manages documents related to the entrusted case.

The prime contractor terminal 5 is a terminal operated by the SC manager of the prime contractor company 1, and after the outsourcing contract with the outsourced company 2B is completed, the SC manager registers the documents to be distributed to the outsourced company 2B from the prime contractor terminal 5 in the document management device 4.

The outsourcing terminal 6A is an outsourcing terminal 6 operated by the case manager of the outsourcing company 2A, and after the outsourcing contract with the outsourcing recipient company 2B is completed, the case manager of the outsourcing company 2A registers the documents to be distributed to the outsourcing recipient company 2B from the outsourcing terminal 6A in the document management device 4.

The outsourcing terminal 6B is an outsourcing terminal 6 operated by the project manager of the outsourcing company 2B, and the project manager of the outsourcing company 2B obtains documents registered in the document management device 4 by the prime contractor terminal 5 or the outsourcing terminal 6A from the outsourcing terminal 6B.

When there is no need to distinguish between the prime contractor terminal 5 and the outsourced terminal 6A, they may be collectively referred to as the "outsourced terminal." The terminal operated by the project manager is called the "manager terminal," and the prime contractor terminal 5, the outsourced terminal 6A, and the outsourced terminal 6B are examples of manager terminals.

In the configuration example of the information system 3 in FIG. 3, for the sake of convenience, an example is shown in which one prime contractor terminal 5, one outsourced terminal 6A, and one outsourced terminal 6B are each connected to the communication line 7, but multiple prime contractor terminals 5, one outsourced terminal 6A, and one outsourced terminal 6B may each be connected to the communication line 7.

The prime contractor terminal 5, the outsourced terminal 6A, and the outsourced terminal 6B are assigned in advance a terminal ID that uniquely identifies each terminal. In addition, the SC administrator and the case managers of the outsourced company 2A and the outsourced company 2B are also assigned in advance a user ID that uniquely identifies each of them.

The prime contractor terminal 5 and the outsourced terminal 6A in the present disclosure are examples of a first terminal, and the outsourced terminal 6B is an example of a second terminal. The user ID in the present disclosure is an example of user identification information.

There are no restrictions on the connection form of the communication line 7 connecting the prime contractor terminal 5, the outsourced terminal 6A, and the outsourced terminal 6B, and it may be wired or wireless. In addition, the communication line 7 may be a public line such as the Internet, or may be, for example, a VPN or a dedicated line.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the document management device 4. The document management device 4 includes the functional units of a communication unit 10, a case management unit 11, a user management unit 12, a document registration unit 13, a document distribution unit 14, and an SC analysis unit 15, as well as a document DB 16.

The communication unit 10 is connected to the communication line 7, and receives various requests from the prime contractor terminal 5, the entrusted terminal 6A, and the entrusted terminal 6B, and transmits responses to the requests to the prime contractor terminal 5, the entrusted terminal 6A, and the entrusted terminal 6B. The communication unit 10 also transmits and receives specified documents between the prime contractor terminal 5, the entrusted terminal 6A, and the entrusted terminal 6B.

The case management unit 11 processes case registration requests received from the prime contractor terminal 5. Each subcontractor company 2 may be subcontracted with cases from different prime contractor companies 1, or may be subcontracted with different cases from the same prime contractor company. Therefore, the case management unit 11 assigns a case identifier (hereinafter referred to as "SCID") that uniquely identifies a case to a case requested to be registered by a case registration request. The case management unit 11 sends the SCID assigned to the case requested to be registered to the prime contractor terminal 5 that sent the case registration request. The SCID related to the present disclosure is an example of a supply chain identifier.

When the user management unit 12 receives a document registration request for registering a document to be distributed to the outsourcing company 2B in accordance with the outsourcing contract, the user ID of the outsourcing case manager and the user ID of the outsourcing case manager included in the document registration request are managed in association with the SCID also included in the document registration request. In addition to the user ID of the outsourcing case manager and the user ID of the outsourcing case manager, the document registration request may also include the outsourcing company name and the outsourcing company name. In this disclosure, it is assumed that the document registration request includes the outsourcing company name and the outsourcing company name. Therefore, the user management unit 12 manages the outsourcing company name and the outsourcing company name together with their respective user IDs in association with the SCID. The user ID of the outsourcing case manager and the outsourcing company name are an example of outsourcing company information representing the outsourcing company 2A, and the user ID of the outsourcing case manager and the outsourcing company name are an example of outsourcing company information representing the outsourcing company 2B. In addition, the outsourcing information and the outsourcing information are an example of organizational information representing information between companies that have entered into an outsourcing contract.

A document registration request is sent by the client. Therefore, when prime contractor company 1 makes a document registration request, the SC manager processes the document registration request on prime contractor terminal 5 and sends the document registration request to document management device 4. When commissioning company 2A makes a document registration request, the case manager of commissioning company 2A processes the document registration request on commissioning terminal 6A and sends the document registration request to document management device 4. In other words, document registration requests for projects that are subcontracted are not made by the SC administrator, but by the case managers of each commissioning company 2A.

When the document registration unit 13 receives a document registration request, it manages the document to be registered that is added to the document registration request in association with the SCID also included in the document registration request, and registers the document to be registered in the document DB 16. The document to be registered is assigned a document ID that uniquely identifies the document in advance, for example, by the SC manager, and when the document to be registered is registered in the document DB 16, the document registration unit 13 associates the document ID of the registered document, the registration destination of the document, and the registration date of the document with the combination of the SCID associated by the user management unit 12, the user ID of the case manager of the outsourcing party, and the user ID of the case manager of the outsourcing party.

In other words, each time a document registration request is received, the user management unit 12 and the document registration unit 13 work together to manage, on a SCID basis, information indicating the entrustment relationship of the case and information regarding the document registered by the entrusting source.

The registration destination of a document is information that indicates the location where the document is stored, such as the name of the folder in which the document is stored. The document ID in the present disclosure is an example of document identification information.

When the document distribution unit 14 receives a document acquisition request from the case manager of the outsourced company 2B through the outsourced terminal 6B, it authenticates the outsourced company 2B. Specifically, the document distribution unit 14 judges whether the outsourced company 2B that made the document acquisition request is an outsourced company that has signed an outsourcing contract with the outsourcer that registered the document to be acquired. If the outsourced company 2B that made the document acquisition request is a correct outsourced company 2B that has signed an outsourcing contract with the outsourcer that registered the requested document, and if the requested document is a document registered by the outsourcer that has an outsourcing contract relationship, the document distribution unit 14 acquires the requested document from the document DB 16 and transmits the acquired document to the outsourced terminal 6B that made the document acquisition request. In other words, the document distribution unit 14 permits the outsourced company 2B to perform a predetermined operation on a document that is linked to the SCID and registered by the case manager of the outsourcer that has an outsourcing relationship with the outsourced company 2B that made the document acquisition request.

The type of operation permitted for the outsourced company 2B on the document may be a type of operation preset in the document management device 4, such as obtaining the document, but the outsourced case manager may also register the type of operation permitted for the outsourced company 2B on the document each time the document is registered.

The types of operations permitted to the outsourced company 2B include, for example, obtaining, viewing, copying, granting access rights, editing, reading, and executing documents.

As already explained, document acquisition is an operation in which the case manager of the outsourced company 2B downloads a document registered in the document DB 16. "Document download" means storing a document registered in the document DB 16 in the storage device of the outsourced terminal 6B.

Viewing a document is an operation in which the case manager of the outsourced company 2B displays the contents of a document registered in the document DB 16, for example, in the browser of the outsourced terminal 6B, without downloading the document.

Duplicating a document is an operation in which the case manager of the outsourced company 2B copies a document downloaded from the document DB 16.

Granting access rights to a document is an operation in which the case manager of the outsourced company 2B sets the authority to use the document downloaded from the document DB 16, such as reading, editing, and deleting the document.

Editing a document is an operation in which the case manager of the outsourced company 2B modifies the contents of a document downloaded from the document DB 16. Note that document editing also includes operations such as changing the document name or converting the document format, such as converting the document from a text file to an image file.

Reading a document is an operation in which a case manager at the outsourcing company 2B downloads a document from the document DB 16 and causes the document to be read into software, for example as input for software installed on the outsourcing terminal 6B. Specifically, if the downloaded document is CAD data, the CAD software reads the CAD data, thereby causing numerical calculations such as a three-dimensional display of the object represented by the CAD data and strength calculations to be performed.

Executing a document is an operation in which the case manager of the outsourced company 2B executes a document downloaded from the document DB 16. In other words, executing a document is an operation on an executable document such as a script file.

The outsourcing case manager registers permission for at least one operation on the document registered in the document DB16, such as obtaining, viewing, copying, granting access rights, editing, reading, and executing the document.

As an example, the following explanation will be given based on a situation in which the project manager of the client company gives permission for document acquisition to the client company 2B.

When the document distribution unit 14 retrieves a document from the document DB 16 and sends it to the entrusted terminal 6B, it records the date the document was retrieved.

The SC analysis unit 15 performs SC analysis processing to analyze to which subcontractor company 2 the project has been subcontracted by the subcontracted company 2B to which the prime contractor 1 has outsourced the project and what kind of SC has been constructed, based on the distribution status of documents distributed to the subcontracted company 2B with which the prime contractor 1 has made a contract. The SC analysis unit 15 also performs access analysis processing to analyze the delivery status of documents distributed by the prime contractor 1 due to subcontracting between subcontracted companies 2, and performs document modification determination processing to analyze whether or not modifications have been made to the documents distributed by the prime contractor 1 during the document distribution process in the SC.

The document DB 16 stores documents registered by the entrusting terminal in response to a document registration request in accordance with the entrustment contract. The document DB 16 also stores a management table 8 that manages organizational information with which the entrustment contract has been concluded and the document access history for each SC.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of management table 8. Management table 8 is provided for each SCID, and is composed of management information that corresponds to a number, outsourcing information, outsourcing information, document ID, storage destination, registration date, and acquisition date. Of these, the number is an index that identifies the management information. The management table 8 shown in Figure 5 is an example of management table 8 for a case represented by the SCID "SC001".

The management information is information that is generated each time the entrusting party makes a document registration request. When a document registration request is received from the entrusting party, the user management unit 12 and the document registration unit 13 set information corresponding to each item of the management information included in the document registration request and the storage destination of the document in the items other than the acquisition date of the management information. In addition, when a document acquisition request is received from the entrusted company 2B and the document is sent to the entrusted company 2B, the document distribution unit 14 sets the document transmission date and time to the acquisition date of the management information where the entrusting party information and the entrusted party information in the management information match the entrusting party information and the entrusted party information included in the document acquisition request. In this way, the entrusting party information and the entrusted party information are examples of organizational information that have signed an entrustment contract, and the registration date and acquisition date in the management information are examples of the access history of the document represented by the document ID.

In addition, in both cases where the outsourced company 2B acquires all documents registered by the client, and where the outsourced company 2B selects and acquires documents registered by the client individually, the acquisition date of the document is associated with each document ID of the acquired document and set in the management information.

In addition, while FIG. 4 shows an example of a configuration in which the document management device 4 includes the document DB 16, the document DB 16 does not necessarily need to be included in the document management device 4, and may be included in an external device (not shown), such as a file server, connected to the communication line 7. In this case, the document management device 4 accesses the document DB 16 provided in the external device via the communication line 7.

The document management device 4 shown in FIG. 4 is configured using a computer 20. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the main configuration of the electrical system of the document management device 4 configured using the computer 20.

The computer 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, which is an example of a processor that executes each functional unit of the document management device 4 shown in FIG. 4, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 22 that stores a startup program (Basic Input Output System: BIOS) that performs startup processing of the computer 20, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 23 used as a temporary working area for the CPU 21, a non-volatile memory 24, and an input/output interface (I/O) 25. The CPU 21, ROM 22, RAM 23, non-volatile memory 24, and I/O 25 are each connected via a bus 26.

The non-volatile memory 24 is an example of a storage device in which stored information is maintained even if the power supplied to the non-volatile memory 24 is cut off, and may be, for example, a semiconductor memory or a hard disk. Thus, the non-volatile memory 24 stores, for example, an information processing program that causes the computer 20 to function as the document management device 4. In addition, information that needs to be stored even if the power supply to the document management device 4 is cut off, such as the document DB 16, is constructed in the non-volatile memory 24.

For example, a communication unit 27, an input unit 28, and a display unit 29 are connected to the I/O 25.

The communication unit 27 is connected to the communication line 7 and has a communication protocol for data communication with the prime contractor terminal 5, the outsourced terminal 6A, the outsourced terminal 6B, and external devices via the communication line 7.

The input unit 28 is an example of a unit that accepts operations on the document management device 4 and notifies the CPU 21, and includes, for example, a button, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, and a pointing device.

The display unit 29 is an example of a unit that visually displays information processed by the CPU 21, and includes, for example, a liquid crystal display and an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display.

For example, when the document management device 4 is remotely operated from an external device, the document management device 4 receives the operation contents through the communication unit 27 and transmits the information processed by the document management device 4 to the external device through the communication unit 27. Therefore, the input unit 28 and the display unit 29 may not be connected to the I/O 25.

Next, we will explain the case registration process executed by the document management device 4.

Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the case registration process executed by the CPU 21 of the document management device 4 when a case registration request is received from the prime contractor terminal 5 operated by the SC manager of the prime contractor company 1.

The information processing program that specifies the case registration process is stored in advance, for example, in the non-volatile memory 24 of the document management device 4. The CPU 21 of the document management device 4 reads the information processing program stored in the non-volatile memory 24 and executes the case registration process.

In the following, as an example, the document DB 16 is assumed to be constructed in the non-volatile memory 24 of the computer 20 constituting the document management device 4. In addition, the case registration request is assumed to include, for example, the case name.

First, in step S10, the CPU 21 assigns a SCID that does not overlap with the SCIDs of other cases.

In step S20, the CPU 21 associates the SCID numbered in step S10 with the case name included in the case registration request, and stores the association between the case and the SCID, for example, in the non-volatile memory 24.

In step S30, the CPU 21 sends the SCID associated with the case specified in the case registration request to the prime contractor terminal 5, which is the sender of the case registration request, and ends the case registration process shown in FIG. 7. This causes an SCID to be issued for the case that the prime contractor company 1 wishes to entrust.

Next, we will explain the document registration process executed by the document management device 4.

Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of document registration processing executed by the CPU 21 of the document management device 4 when a document registration request is received from the entrusting terminal.

The information processing program that defines the document registration process is stored in advance, for example, in the non-volatile memory 24 of the document management device 4. The CPU 21 of the document management device 4 reads the information processing program stored in the non-volatile memory 24 and executes the document registration process.

The document registration request includes, for example, the SCID of the project for which the document is to be registered, information about the outsourcing party that will outsource the project, information about the outsourcee that will receive the outsourcing, and the document ID of the document to be registered, and is sent to the document management device 4 together with the document to be registered. Note that the document registration request includes the SCID, but if no document registration request has been made for the project even once, then at this point in time only the prime contractor company 1 knows the SCID for the document to be registered. Therefore, the first document registration request for the project will be made from the prime contractor terminal 5.

When a document registration request is received, in step S100, the CPU 21 stores the document to be registered in the document DB 16, and stores storage destination information indicating the storage destination of the document in the RAM 13. Note that if there are multiple documents to be registered, the CPU 21 may change the storage destination for each document, or may store each document in the same storage destination. If the storage destination is changed for each document, the CPU 21 stores the storage destination information for each document in the RAM 13.

In step S110, the CPU 21 generates management information in which the entrusting source information, entrustee information, and document ID included in the document registration request are set in the entrusting source information, entrustee information, and document ID fields, respectively. Furthermore, the CPU 21 sets the management information index, document storage destination information, and the date and time when the document was stored in the document DB 16 in the number, storage destination, and registration date fields of the generated management information, respectively. The CPU 21 adds the management information in which the fields other than the acquisition date are set to the management table 8 corresponding to the SCID included in the document registration request.

In step S120, the CPU 21 sends a registration completion notification to the client terminal that sent the document registration request, notifying the client that the document registration has been completed.

In step S130, the CPU 21 sends a registration notification to the outsourcing terminal 6B of the outsourcing company 2B represented by the outsourcing information in the generated management information, notifying the outsourcing party that the document to be distributed by the outsourcing party in connection with the outsourcing of the project has been registered in the document DB 16, and ends the document registration request shown in FIG. 8.

The registration notification includes the SCID of the entrusted case, the document ID of the document registered in accordance with the entrustment contract, and the entrusting company information of the entrusted case. Since the registration notification notifies the entrusted company 2B of the SCID of the entrusted case, if the entrusted company 2B becomes the entrusting company 2A through re-entrustment of the case, the document management device 4 will have the information necessary to create a document registration request to register the document.

Next, we will explain the document distribution process executed by the document management device 4.

Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a document distribution process executed by the CPU 21 of the document management device 4 when a document acquisition request is received from the entrusted terminal 6B.

The information processing program that specifies the document distribution process is stored in advance, for example, in the non-volatile memory 24 of the document management device 4. The CPU 21 of the document management device 4 reads the information processing program stored in the non-volatile memory 24 and executes the document distribution process.

The document retrieval request includes, for example, the SCID of the case for which the document is to be retrieved, the entrusting company information of the entrusting company 2A notified by the registration notification, and the entrustee information of the entrusted company 2B for which the document is to be retrieved.

When a document acquisition request is received, in step S200, the CPU 21 determines whether the sender of the document acquisition request is the entrusted company 2B that satisfies the document acquisition condition. Specifically, the CPU 21 references the management table 8 associated with the SCID included in the document acquisition request, and extracts management information in which a combination of the entrusting source information and the entrustee information included in the document acquisition request is set. If the corresponding management information exists, the CPU 21 recognizes that the received document acquisition request is a document acquisition request from the legitimate entrusted company 2B that has entered into an entrustment contract with the entrusting source company 2A represented by the entrusting source information in the extracted management information, and determines that the document acquisition condition is met. If the document acquisition condition is met, the process proceeds to step S210.

In step S210, the CPU 21 references the storage location of the extracted management information and acquires from the document DB 16 the document corresponding to the document ID set in the document ID field of the extracted management information. If there are multiple documents to be acquired, each document is acquired from the document DB 16. The CPU 21 then transmits the acquired document to the entrusted terminal 6B which is the sender of the document acquisition request, sets the date and time when the document was transmitted as the acquisition date of the extracted management information, and ends the document distribution process shown in FIG. 9.

On the other hand, if the judgment process of step S200 judges that there is no management information in which the combination of the entrusting source information and the entrustee information included in the document acquisition request is set, the CPU 21 recognizes that the received document acquisition request is a document acquisition request from an entrusting company 2 that does not have an entrustment contract relationship with the entrusting source company 2A represented by the entrusting source information in the extracted management information, and judges that the document acquisition conditions are not met. If the document acquisition conditions are not met, the process proceeds to step S220.

In this case, in step S220, the CPU 21 sends an authentication error notification indicating that acquisition of the requested document is not permitted to the entrusted terminal 6B, which is the sender of the document acquisition request, and ends the document distribution process shown in FIG. 9.

In the above document retrieval request, an example has been described in which all documents registered by the entrusting company 2A are retrieved, but the method of retrieving documents is not limited to this. For example, if the document retrieval request includes the document ID of the document to be retrieved, the CPU 21 may retrieve only the document represented by the document ID included in the document retrieval request from the document DB 16, and send the retrieved document to the entrusted terminal 6B, which is the sender of the document retrieval request. In this case, as already described, the retrieval date of the retrieved document is associated with each document ID of the document and set in the management information.

In this way, according to the disclosed information system 3, the entrusted company 2B is only permitted to obtain documents from the entrusting company 2A with which it has concluded an entrustment contract.

Next, we will explain the document correction determination process executed by the document management device 4.

Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a document correction determination process executed by the CPU 21 of the document management device 4 when a document correction determination request is received from the prime contractor terminal 5.

The information processing program that specifies the document correction determination process is stored in advance, for example, in the non-volatile memory 24 of the document management device 4. The CPU 21 of the document management device 4 reads the information processing program stored in the non-volatile memory 24 and executes the document correction determination process.

The document modification judgment request includes, for example, the SCID of the case in which the document to be judged is used, the document ID of the document to be judged, and the user ID of the SC administrator. For ease of explanation, hereafter, the SCID, document ID, and user ID of the SC administrator included in the document modification judgment request will be referred to as the "designated SCID," the "designated document ID," and the "designated user ID," respectively.

When a document modification determination request is received, in step S300, the CPU 21 determines whether the specified user ID is the user ID of the SC administrator. In the management table 8 to which the specified SCID is associated, the user ID included in the entrustment source information of the management information whose number is set to "1" is the user ID of the SC administrator. Therefore, the CPU 21 can compare the user ID with the specified user ID to determine whether the specified user ID is the user ID of the SC administrator.

If the specified user ID is not the user ID of the SC administrator, the document modification judgment process shown in Figure 10 is terminated. In other words, document modification judgment requests are not permitted by the case manager of the entrusted company 2, but only by the SC administrator who manages the entire SC. This is to prevent the entrusted company 2 from holding information related to the SC.

On the other hand, if the determination process in step S300 determines that the specified user ID is the user ID of the SC administrator, the process proceeds to step S310.

In step S310, the CPU 21 refers to the management table 8 to which the specified SCID is associated and obtains management information including the specified document ID.

In step S320, the CPU 21 retrieves the original of the document represented by the specified document ID (hereinafter referred to as the "specified document") from the document DB 16. The original of the specified document is retrieved from a storage location included in the management information in which the specified user ID and specified document ID are set in the user ID field and document ID field of the client information, respectively. In other words, the original of the document is the document registered in the document DB 16 by the prime contractor company 1.

In step S330, the CPU 21 selects one piece of management information that has not yet been selected from the management information acquired in step S310. For ease of explanation, the management information selected in step S330 is referred to as "selected management information."

In step S340, the CPU 21 acquires the specified document from the storage destination included in the selected management information, and determines whether the acquired document is the original. As a method of comparing the acquired document with the original, the CPU 21 performs, for example, a comparison of file names. If the file name of the acquired document is different from the file name of the original, it may be determined that the acquired document is not the original. In addition, the CPU 21 may determine that the acquired document is not the original if the hash value of the acquired document is different from the hash value of the original, or may determine that the acquired document is not the original if the feature amount of the acquired document and the feature amount of the original, which are extracted using a known method for natural language processing, are different. Furthermore, the CPU 21 may combine the multiple comparison methods of the acquired document and the original shown above to determine whether the acquired document is the original. If the acquired document is different from the original, the process proceeds to step S350.

In step S350, the CPU 21 stores the index of the selected management information in the RAM 13 and proceeds to step S360. The management information represented by the index stored in the RAM 13 by the processing of step S350 is management information in which the delivery of the document in which corrections have been made to the original is recorded.

On the other hand, if the document obtained by the determination process in step S340 is determined to be the original, the process proceeds to step S360 without executing the process in step S350.

In step S360, the CPU 21 determines whether or not there is unselected management information among the management information acquired in step S310. If there is unselected management information, the process proceeds to step S330, and the CPU 21 selects one piece of management information from the unselected management information as new selected management information, and repeats the processing of steps S330 to S360 until there is no unselected management information. As a result, an index of the management information that records the transfer of a document in which corrections have been made to the original is stored in the RAM 13 from the management information acquired in step S310.

If the judgment process of step S360 determines that there is no unselected management information, the process proceeds to step S370.

In step S370, the CPU 21 determines whether the index of the management information stored by the processing of step S350 is stored in the RAM 13. If the index of the management information is stored in the RAM 13, the process proceeds to step S380.

In step S380, the CPU 21 sends a correction detection notification to the prime contractor terminal 5 notifying that corrections have been made to the original document, and ends the document correction determination process shown in FIG. 10. The correction detection notification includes management information that records the delivery of the document in which corrections have been made to the original document.

On the other hand, if the determination process of step S370 determines that the index of the management information is not stored in RAM 13, the process proceeds to step S390.

In step S390, the CPU 21 sends a correction non-detection notification to the prime contractor terminal 5 to notify that no corrections have been made to the original document, and ends the document correction determination process shown in FIG. 10.

Next, we will explain the access analysis process that analyzes the delivery status of documents distributed by prime contractor 1 in the SC.

Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the access analysis process executed by the CPU 21 of the document management device 4 when an access analysis request is received from the prime contractor terminal 5.

The information processing program that specifies the access analysis process is stored in advance, for example, in the non-volatile memory 24 of the document management device 4. The CPU 21 of the document management device 4 reads the information processing program stored in the non-volatile memory 24 and executes the access analysis process.

The access analysis request includes, for example, the SCID of the case in which the document to be analyzed is used, the document ID of the document to be analyzed, and the user ID of the SC administrator. For ease of explanation, the SCID, document ID, and user ID of the SC administrator included in the access analysis request will be referred to as the "designated SCID," the "designated document ID," and the "designated user ID," respectively.

When an access analysis request is received, in step S400, the CPU 21 determines whether the specified user ID is the user ID of the SC administrator, in the same manner as the determination process in step S300 of FIG. 10.

If the specified user ID is not the user ID of the SC administrator, the access analysis process shown in FIG. 11 is terminated. In other words, the access analysis process is not permitted to the case manager of the entrusted company 2, but only to the SC administrator who manages the entire SC. This is to prevent the entrusted company 2 from holding information related to the SC.

On the other hand, if the determination process in step S400 determines that the specified user ID is the user ID of the SC administrator, the process proceeds to step S410.

In step S410, the CPU 21 refers to the management table 8 to which the specified SCID is associated and obtains management information including the specified document ID.

In step S420, the CPU 21 extracts the entrustor information, the entrustee information, and the access history from each piece of management information acquired in step S410.

In step S430, the CPU 21 associates the outsourcing information, outsourcing destination information, and access history extracted from the same management information. The CPU 21 then transmits the association of the outsourcing information, outsourcing destination information, and access history extracted from each management information to the prime contractor terminal 5, and ends the access analysis process shown in FIG. 11.

In this way, the access history of the document represented by the specified document ID, the information of the outsourcing company that handed over the document, and the information of the outsourcing company are sent to the prime contractor terminal 5. Therefore, the SC administrator can know the document distribution status for each case, such as what documents were disclosed and when, even for the outsourcing company 2 that has not directly signed an outsourcing contract with the prime contractor 1.

If the outsourced company 2B to which the document is being distributed matches a company that the prime contractor 1 has registered in advance in the document management device 4 as a company that should be watched out for, in step S430, the CPU 21 may send a message urging caution to the prime contractor terminal 5 along with the outsourcer information, the outsourced information, and the correspondence between the access history. A company that should be watched out for is, for example, a company that has been identified as problematic from the perspective of legal compliance, or a company that has been identified as problematic from the perspective of business continuity, and is set by the prime contractor 1. The match with a company that should be watched out for may be determined based on the matching status of at least one attribute, for example, the company name, the user ID of the project manager, and the terminal ID of the outsourced terminal 6B.

Next, we will explain the SC analysis process that analyzes the SC configuration with prime contractor company 1 at the top.

Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of SC analysis processing executed by the CPU 21 of the document management device 4 when a SC analysis request is received from the prime contractor terminal 5.

The information processing program that specifies the SC analysis process is stored in advance, for example, in the non-volatile memory 24 of the document management device 4. The CPU 21 of the document management device 4 reads the information processing program stored in the non-volatile memory 24 and executes the SC analysis process.

The SC analysis request includes, for example, the SCID of the case in which the document to be analyzed is used, and the user ID of the SC administrator. For ease of explanation, the SCID and the user ID of the SC administrator included in the SC analysis request will be referred to as the "designated SCID" and the "designated user ID", respectively.

When an SC analysis request is received, in step S500, the CPU 21 determines whether the specified user ID is the user ID of the SC administrator in the same manner as the determination process in step S300 of FIG. 10.

If the specified user ID is not the user ID of the SC administrator, the SC analysis process shown in FIG. 12 is terminated. In other words, the SC analysis process is not permitted to the case manager of the entrusted company 2, but only to the SC administrator who manages the entire SC. This is to prevent the entrusted company 2 from holding information related to the SC.

On the other hand, if the determination process in step S500 determines that the specified user ID is the user ID of the SC administrator, the process proceeds to step S510.

In step S510, the CPU 21 sets "1" to n, which indicates the degree of consignment of the consignor company 2. As already explained, a consignor company 2 with a degree of consignment n="1", i.e., a primary consignor company 2, indicates a consignor company 2 that has concluded a consignment contract with the prime contractor company 1 and has been consigned a project. The CPU 21 also sets the specified user ID to the variable UID, which indicates the user ID.

In step S520, the CPU 21 refers to the management table 8 to which the specified SCID is associated, and obtains the entrustee information of the management information in which the UID is set as the user ID of the entrustment source information, i.e., the nth-order entrustee information, in association with the entrustment source information.

In step S530, the CPU 21 determines whether or not there is any n-th order entrustee information that has been acquired in the processing of step S520. If n-th order entrustee information has been acquired, the process proceeds to step S540.

In step S540, the CPU 21 updates the consignment degree n by adding "1" to it, and updates the UID by setting the user ID included in the nth-order consignee information acquired in the process of step S520 to the UID, and then proceeds to step S520. In other words, when the CPU 21 has acquired the nth-order consignee information, it repeats the process of recursively searching for each consignee company 2B represented by the nth-order consignee information to see if the consignee company 2B represented by the nth-order consignee information has become the consignor company 2A and re-consigns the case.

If the determination process in step S530 determines that there is no n-th order outsourcing information, the process proceeds to step S550 because the search for outsourcing company 2B has been completed up to the end of the SC.

In step S550, the CPU 21 sequentially tracks the relationship between the acquired n-th degree contractor information (n=1, 2, ...) and the contractor information, starting from the contractor degree n=1, and analyzes the SC structure with the prime contractor 1 at the apex. The analysis result of the SC structure is represented, for example, by a tree diagram as shown in FIG. 2.

In step S560, the CPU 21 transmits the SC structure analyzed in step S550 to the prime contractor terminal 5 and ends the SC analysis process shown in FIG. 12.

The outsourcing contract is a two-company contract between the outsourcing company 2A and the outsourced company 2B. Therefore, the prime contractor 1 does not know to which outsourcing company 2 the projects it has outsourced to in the past have been subcontracted, which can make it difficult to grasp the overall picture of the outsourcing companies that make up the SC. However, by using the SC analysis process in the document management device 4, the SC manager can obtain an overall picture of the outsourcing companies that make up the SC.

In addition, by using the document revision determination process and access analysis process in the document management device 4, the SC administrator can obtain information on whether a distributed document has been revised and the distribution destinations of the document for each SC.

In other words, the document management device 4 provides the SC manager with information about the SC without the SC manager having to interview the case managers of each outsourcing company 2 along the flow of the outsourcing contract.

In the disclosed example, a user ID is used as an example of identification information included in the outsourcing information and the outsourcing recipient information, but any identification information other than a user ID may be used as long as it identifies the outsourcing recipient and the outsourcing recipient of the project. For example, identification information such as the terminal IDs of the prime contractor terminal 5, the outsourcing terminal 6A, and the outsourcing recipient terminal 6B, or a company ID that uniquely identifies a company may be included in the outsourcing information and the outsourcing recipient information.

As already explained, the SC administrator who manages the entire SC does not necessarily have to be the project manager of the prime contractor company 1. For example, the project manager of the outsourced company 2 may be the SC administrator. Therefore, if the user ID received from the manager terminal is the user ID of the SC administrator, the document management device 4 may execute the document modification determination process shown in FIG. 10, the access analysis process shown in FIG. 11, and the SC analysis process shown in FIG. 12, even if the sender of the user ID is not the prime contractor terminal 5.

In this way, when one of the outsourcing companies 2A that make up the SC is the SC manager, the document management device 4 outputs the document revision status, document access history, and SC configuration status within each outsourcing company 2 that is subordinate to the outsourcing company 2 to the outsourcing terminal 6 of the outsourcing company 2 to which the SC manager belongs. This allows the SC manager to understand the status of each outsourcing company 2 that is subordinate to the outsourcing company 2, and may, for example, summarize the document distribution status and report it to the project manager of the prime contractor company 1.

Furthermore, when the document management device 4 receives a designation of a company that is higher than the entrusted company 2 to which the SC administrator belongs from the entrusted terminal 6 of the entrusted company 2 to which the SC administrator belongs, it outputs to the designated company the revision status of the document output to the entrusted company 2 to which the SC administrator belongs, the document access history, and the SC configuration status. The number of companies designated by the entrusted terminal 6 of the entrusted company 2 to which the SC administrator belongs may be multiple.

Although one aspect of the document management device 4 has been described above using an embodiment, the disclosed form of the document management device 4 is merely an example, and the form of the document management device 4 is not limited to the scope described in the embodiment. Various modifications or improvements can be made to the embodiment without departing from the gist of this disclosure, and forms with such modifications or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the disclosure. For example, the order of the processes in the flowcharts shown in Figures 7 to 12 may be changed without departing from the gist of this disclosure.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which each process is implemented by software. However, processes equivalent to those shown in the flowcharts of Figures 7 to 12 may be implemented by hardware. In this case, the processing speed can be increased compared to when each process is implemented by software.

In the above embodiment, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, including a general-purpose processor (e.g., CPU 21) and a dedicated processor (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

In addition, the processor operations in the above embodiments may not only be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the processor operations is not limited to the order described in the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the information processing program is stored in the non-volatile memory 24 has been described, but the storage destination of the information processing program is not limited to the non-volatile memory 24. The information processing program of the present disclosure can also be provided in a form recorded on a storage medium readable by the computer 20. For example, the information processing program may be provided in a form recorded on an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory) or a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory). The information processing program may also be provided in a form recorded on a portable semiconductor memory such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a memory card. ROM 22, non-volatile memory 24, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, USB, and memory cards are examples of non-transitory storage media.

Furthermore, the document management device 4 may download an information processing program from an external device via the communication line 7 and store the downloaded information processing program in the storage device. In this case, the CPU 21 of the document management device 4 reads the information processing program downloaded from the external device from the storage device and executes each process.

The following are notes related to this embodiment.

(((1)))
A processor is provided.
The processor,
Manage multiple organizational information and multiple documents linked to supply chain identifiers,
accepting registration of identification information of a user of a second organization, the document, and identification information of the document from a first terminal operated by a user of a first organization in association with the supply chain identifier;
An information processing device that permits a second terminal operated by a user of the second organization to perform a predetermined operation on the document linked to the supply chain identifier, the document being registered by a user of the first organization for a user of the second organization.

(((2)))
The processor accepts from the first terminal identification information of a user of a second organization associated with the supply chain identifier, the document, and identification information of the document, as well as registration of the predetermined type of operation, and permits the second terminal to perform the predetermined type of operation on the document linked to the supply chain identifier, the document being registered by a user of the first organization for a user of the second organization.

(((3)))
The information processing device described in (((2))), wherein at least one of obtaining, viewing, copying, granting access rights, editing, reading, and executing the document registered by the user of the first organization for the user of the second organization is registered as the type of the predetermined operation.

(((4)))
The information processing device according to any one of ((1)) to ((3)), wherein the processor registers, in a storage device, an access history of the document by the first terminal and the second terminal for each of the documents.

(((5)))
The information processing device according to ((4)), wherein the processor outputs an access history of the document disclosed by the first organization to the second organization to an administrator terminal operated by a manager of a supply chain.

(((6)))
The processor outputs, to an administrator terminal of the first organization that requested the access history of the document, the access history of the document in each organization that is subordinate to the first organization that requested the access history of the document in a supply chain and that has a direct or indirect contract relationship with the first organization.

(((7)))
The processor outputs the access history of the document in each organization that is subordinate to the first organization and has a direct or indirect project entrustment relationship with the first organization to an administrator terminal of an organization that is designated by the first organization and is superior to the first organization and has a direct or indirect project entrustment relationship with the first organization.

(((8)))
The processor outputs the access history of the document to an administrator terminal operated by an administrator of a prime contractor company in the supply chain.

(((9)))
The information processing device described in any of ((1))) to ((8))), wherein, when a correction is made to the registered document, the processor outputs a message to the first terminal operated by an administrator of a prime contractor company in the supply chain, notifying the first terminal that a correction has been made to the document.

(((10)))
The processor acquires management information of the document associated with the same supply chain identifier and the same identification information, and detects that the document has been modified if the file name of the registered document differs from the file name of the original document.

(((11)))
The processor outputs the distribution status of the document in the first organization and the second organization to an administrator terminal operated by a supply chain manager.

(((12)))
The information processing device described in ((11))), wherein the processor outputs a message urging caution to an administrator terminal operated by a supply chain administrator if the document is circulating in at least one of the predetermined first organization and the predetermined second organization.

(((13)))
On the computer,
Manage multiple organizational information and multiple documents linked to supply chain identifiers,
accepting registration of identification information of a user of a second organization, the document, and identification information of the document from a first terminal operated by a user of a first organization in association with the supply chain identifier;
An information processing program for causing a second terminal operated by a user of the second organization to execute a process for permitting predetermined operations on the document linked to the supply chain identifier, the document being registered by a user of the first organization for a user of the second organization.

According to ((1))) and ((13)), in a supply chain constructed by a contractor that outsources work to another contractor, the contractor then subcontracts the work to other contractors in turn, it has the effect of reducing the burden of document management on the administrator of the contractor compared to a case in which the administrator of the contractor centrally manages the management of documents exchanged between contractors.

According to (((2))), the effect is that the client company can specify the types of operations that the client company can perform on the document.

According to (((3))), the outsourcing company can specify a combination of operations that the outsourced company can perform on the document from among multiple predefined types of operations.

According to ((4)), it has the effect of being possible to ascertain whether or not the entrusted company has acquired the document.

According to (((5))), the effect is that the supply chain manager can grasp the document acquisition status.

According to ((6)), the effect is that a supply chain manager can grasp the document acquisition status of each organization that is subordinate to the organization to which the manager belongs and has a direct or indirect entrustment relationship.

According to ((7)), the effect is that the administrator can report the document acquisition status in each organization that is subordinate to the administrator's organization and has a direct or indirect entrustment relationship with the organization that is superior to the administrator's organization and has a direct or indirect entrustment relationship with the administrator.

According to ((8)), the effect is that the manager of the prime contractor in the supply chain can grasp the document acquisition status.

According to ((9)), it has the effect of being possible to ascertain whether or not a document has been modified as it is circulated through the supply chain.

(((10))) has the effect of making it possible to determine whether a document has been modified from its file name.

According to ((11)), the effect is that a supply chain manager can grasp the distribution status of documents after the subcontracting company with which they do not have a direct contract.

According to ((12)), this has the effect of enabling supply chain managers to become aware that documents have been distributed to problematic subcontractors.

Reference Signs List 1 Prime contractor 2 Consignment company 2A Consignor company 2B Consignee company 3 Information system 4 Document management device 5 Prime contractor terminal 6 Consignment terminal 6A Consignor terminal 6B Consignee terminal 7 Communication line 8 Management table 9 Link 10 Communication unit 11 Case management unit 12 User management unit 13 Document registration unit 14 Document distribution unit 15 SC analysis unit 16 Document DB
20 Computer 21 CPU
22 ROM
23 RAM
24 Non-volatile memory 25 I/O
26 Bus 27 Communication unit 28 Input unit 29 Display unit

Claims (13)

A processor is provided.
The processor,
Manage multiple organizational information and multiple documents linked to supply chain identifiers,
accepting registration of identification information of a user of a second organization, the document, and identification information of the document from a first terminal operated by a user of a first organization in association with the supply chain identifier;
An information processing device that permits a second terminal operated by a user of the second organization to perform a predetermined operation on the document linked to the supply chain identifier, the document being registered by a user of the first organization to a user of the second organization. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processor accepts from the first terminal registration of the identification information of a user of a second organization associated with the supply chain identifier, the document, and the identification information of the document, as well as registration of the predetermined type of operation, and permits the second terminal to perform the predetermined type of operation on the document linked to the supply chain identifier, the document being registered by a user of the first organization for a user of the second organization. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the type of the predetermined operation is at least one of obtaining, viewing, copying, granting access rights, editing, reading, and executing the document registered by the user of the first organization for the user of the second organization. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor registers, for each document, an access history of the document by the first terminal and the second terminal in a storage device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the processor outputs an access history of the document disclosed by the first organization to the second organization to an administrator terminal operated by an administrator of a supply chain. The information processing device according to claim 5, wherein the processor outputs, to an administrator terminal of the first organization that requested the access history of the document, the access history of the document in each organization that is subordinate to the first organization that requested the access history of the document in a supply chain and that has a direct or indirect contract relationship with the first organization. The information processing device according to claim 6, wherein the processor outputs the access history of the document in each organization that is subordinate to the first organization and has a direct or indirect project outsourcing relationship with the first organization to an administrator terminal of an organization that is designated by the first organization and is superior to the first organization and has a direct or indirect project outsourcing relationship with the first organization. The information processing device according to claim 5 , wherein the processor outputs the access history of the document to an administrator terminal operated by an administrator of a prime contractor in the supply chain. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein, when a correction is made to the registered document, the processor outputs a message to the first terminal operated by an administrator of a prime contractor in the supply chain, notifying the administrator that a correction has been made to the document. The information processing device according to claim 9 , wherein the processor acquires management information of the document associated with the same supply chain identifier and the same identification information, and detects that the document has been modified if the file name of the registered document is different from the file name of the original document. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor outputs the document distribution status in the first organization and the second organization to an administrator terminal operated by a manager of a supply chain. The information processing device according to claim 11 , wherein the processor outputs a message urging caution to an administrator terminal operated by a supply chain administrator when the document is in circulation in at least one of the predetermined first organization and the predetermined second organization. On the computer,
Manage multiple organizational information and multiple documents linked to supply chain identifiers,
accepting registration of identification information of a user of a second organization, the document, and identification information of the document from a first terminal operated by a user of a first organization in association with the supply chain identifier;
An information processing program for causing a second terminal operated by a user of the second organization to execute a process for permitting predetermined operations on the document linked to the supply chain identifier, the document being registered by a user of the first organization for a user of the second organization.